Orbital camera system

ABSTRACT

An orbital camera system has at least two extensions that extend from a hub to rotate a camera about a hub in a balanced and low vibration manner. In addition, the exemplary orbital camera system is versatile in configuration having extensions with hinges to allow variations in the configuration. The hub may be powered by a motor that provides smooth rotation even at low speeds. The hub is coupled to a down rod and the motor may be detachably attached to the down rod. A counterweight may be a battery or a battery station that enables detachable attachment of a battery thereto. An illumination light is coupled to the hub to provide uniform light over the imaging area. A focal element and/or a centering light emitter may be configured along the rotational axis for aid in placing an object to be imaged.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. provisionalpatent application No. 63/007,667, filed on Apr. 9, 2020; the entiretyof which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an orbital camera system that is configured tobe configured above an object to be imaged by a camera coupled to anextension that rotates about a rotation axis of the hub and a method ofimaging an object using the orbital camera system.

Background

Existing orbital camera systems are typically fixed mounted systems thatprovide little versatility. In addition, many orbital camera systems arenot balanced and therefore produce vibration during the rotation of thecamera.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to an orbital camera system that is configuredto be configured above an object to be imaged by a camera coupled to anextension that rotates about a rotation axis of the hub and a method ofimaging an object using the orbital camera system. An exemplary orbitalcamera system is collapsible for temporary mounting above an object tobe imaged, such as to a ceiling via a down rod coupled to a mount, or toa mount stand having a stand extension for mounting. The orbital camerasystem has a first extension that is coupled to the hub and isconfigured to rotate a camera about a hub in a balanced and lowvibration manner. The hub is driven by a motor which may be coupled tothe hub via gearing or may be directly driven by the motor, such asbeing coupled directly to a drive shaft of the motor. In addition, theexemplary orbital camera system is versatile in configuration havingextensions with hinges to allow variations in the configuration. Forexample, a distal segment having a camera attached thereto, may berotated about the hinge to a desired location and the opposingextension, which may have a counterweight, may be rotated about itsrespective extension to provide a balanced configuration about the hub.

The orbital camera system may be configured with features to enablefocusing the camera on an object prior to beginning imaging. A focal hubattachment may be configured on the hub to allow attachment of a focalelement thereto. The focal element may be coupled with a focal tetherthat hangs down from the focal hub attachment. A focal elementattachment may be coupled to the focal tether and configured todetachably attach to the focal hub attachment. The focal hub attachmentmay be a threaded attachment for receiving a corresponding threadedattachment of the focal element attachment. The focal tether may beadjustable in length to enable positioning of the focal element in adesired location along the rotation axis. A camera may be coupled to oneor both of the extension and then focused on the focal element. Thefocal element may then be detached from the focal hub attachment and anobject may be placed where the focal hub attachment was positioned andimaging of the object may commence.

The orbital camera system may also have a centering light emitter thatis configured along the rotation axis and configured to emit a lightdown along the rotation axis, such as a light beam or a laser lightbeam. Using the light or light beam from emitted by the centering lightemitter, an object to be imaged may be positioned along the rotationaxis, wherein the centering light is positioned on a desired location ofthe object. The centering light emitter and focal hub attachment may beconfigured on the hub or a hub bracket or extension and may be alignedwith the rotation axis.

The orbital camera system may be configured with an illumination lightto illuminate an object and this light may be configured around therotational axis. One or more lights may be positioned about the rotationaxis to produce a uniform object illumination light down over an objectto be imaged. An exemplary illumination light may be a ring light,extending around a portion of the rotation axis or completely around therotational axis. A ring light may consist of a single light or maycomprise a plurality of lights arranged around the rotation axis;leaving an area about the rotation axis open for the centering lightemitter and/or the focal hub attachment. An exemplary illumination lightmay be detachably attached to the hub and may be a battery poweredlight, thereby not requiring any wired connection for power duringrotation of the hub.

The hub is configured at an extended end of a down rod and is driven bya motor to rotate the hub and components attached thereto, including afirst extension, second extension, and illumination light. The motor maybe detachably attached to the down rod and the hub and gearing may beconfigured between the motor and the hub. In an exemplary embodiment, amotor is a direct drive motor and directly drives the hub, wherein thehub is coupled directly to the drive shaft of the motor and wherein onerotation of the drive shaft produces one rotation of the hub. The motormay have a battery pack to provide power to the motor, thereby notrequiring any wired connection for the orbital camera system. Anexemplary motor may be configured to operate from a very low rotationspeed, 1/20 revolution per minute (rpm), or 1/12 rpm to higher speed,such as about 1 rpm or more, about 2 rpm or more, about 5 rpm or more,about 10 rpm or more and any range between and including the rotationspeeds listed. An exemplary motor may be a servo motor and may be veryquiet to prevent background noise during video imaging.

The motor may be detachably attached to the down rod or to the hub andmay have a motor-gear that engages with hub-gear to drive the hub andthe extension coupled thereto. The motor may be configured above the huband hub gear and therefore may utilize gravity for engagement with thehub-gear. The motor may be coupled to the down rod by a motor connector,such as a collar.

An exemplary orbital camera system may have a controller that isconfigured to receive control instruction via a remote controller via awireless signal. A controller of the orbital camera system may have awireless transceiver including a wireless signal receiver for receivingcontrol instructions from a remote controller, such a mobile deviceincluding a mobile phone, tablet computer, portable or laptop computerand the like. The remote controller may also have a wireless signaltransceiver that includes a wireless signal transmitter. The remotecontroller and controller of the orbital camera system may communicateback and forth or the remote controller may simply provide instructionsto the controller of the orbital camera system, thereby requiring asignal transmitter of the remote controller and a signal receivercoupled to the controller of the orbital camera system. In an exemplaryembodiment, an App on a mobile phone is configured to communicated withthe controller via a short range wireless signal, such as Bluetooth. TheApp may enable motion control of the system to rotate the extension orextensions. Controlled motion may include control of the speed ofrotation as well as direction of rotation and sweep angle. The App mayenable a programmed motion that includes one or more motion events, afirst motion event may be rotation of the extension in a first directionat a first speed of rotation for a first sweep angle and then a secondmotion, which may be rotation in a second direction, which may be anopposing direction to the first motion, a second rotational speed and asecond sweep angle. Note too that the controller may simply set therotational speed and direction of rotation. A controller may also changethe intensity of the light emitted from the illumination light and theintensity may be changed during a programed motion for enhanced visualeffects.

An exemplary orbital camera system has two extensions that extend fromthe hub in opposing directions to provide a balanced configuration toprevent vibrations. An extension may be detachably attachable to the hubby an extension connector. The proximal ends of the extensions may beinserted or coupled with the extension connector and an extension lock,such as a knob, may secure the extensions to the extension connector. Anexemplary extension has a proximal segment that is coupled to distalsegment by a hinge that allows the distal segment to rotate about thehinge with respect to the proximal segment. The proximal segment mayextend horizontally from the hub, or substantially orthogonal to thedown rod and the distal segment may then rotate about the hinge to adesired extension angle. The hinge may allow the distal segment torotate from 180 degrees, or in alignment with the proximal segment, toabout zero or 360 degrees, wherein the distal segment is folded backalong the proximal segment. This wide range of rotation allows for thecamera to be configured in any desired angular position. Furthermore,the extension can be folded back onto itself to enable a more compactconfiguration for transport and storage.

An exemplary extension may be a length that enables 360 degree filmingor photo capture about a desired location and may be about 25 cm inlength or more, about 50 cm in length or more, about 75 cm in length ormore, about 1 m in length or more, about 1.5 m in length or more, about2 m in length or more, about 4 m in length or more, about 6 m in lengthor more and any range between and including the values provide. Theextension length may b chosen depending on the size of the object to beimages and the desired imaging.

The hub is configured at the extended end of the down rod and is drivenby a motor to rotate the extensions coupled thereto. The extension(s)may be detachably attached to an extension connector that is coupled tothe hub. The extension connector may have an extension lock to securethe hub-ends of the two extensions to the extension connector. In anexemplary embodiment, the hub-ends of the extensions are circular incross-section shape, or are rods or cylinders, and the extensionconnector has a receiving hole for the insertion of the hub-endstherein. In an exemplary embodiment the extension may be a singleextension that extends through a coupling on the hub to extend inopposing direction from the hub. Note that a hub may be configured toreceive any number of extensions, however it may be desirable to keepthe cantilevered load on the hub balanced, to avoid vibration. Forexample, two extensions may extend in opposing directions from the hub,or three may extend 120 degrees apart and four extension may extend 90degrees apart or have two sets of opposing extensions.

A counterweight may be configured on an opposing extension from a camerato provide stability of the extensions and to reduce vibrations. Acounterweight may be a battery or battery system may be configured alongan extension to provide a balanced load, wherein the torque exerted onthe hub by the extensions is substantially balanced. For example, a twoextension system wherein the two extension are in alignment may eachproduce a torque load on the hub that is within about 20% or less ofeach other and preferably about 10% or less of each other and morepreferably within about 5% or less of each other; thereby beingsubstantially balanced. Note that the torque arm, or the distance of thecamera or cameras, and/or a counterweight or battery system may beadjusted along the extension to produce a substantially balanced torqueon the hub. For example, the battery system may be heavier than thecamera and therefore may be slid toward the hub to produce substantiallythe same torque as a lighter camera configured further away from thehub.

The battery may receive power from a battery configured therewith orfrom a remote power source, such as an electrical cord coupled with aplug, for example. In an exemplary embodiment, the motor receives powerfrom a battery that is coupled to one of the extensions and this batterymay serve as a counterweight. For example, a battery may be configuredalong a second extension a distance from the hub to counterweight acamera coupled to the first extension. Battery leads may extend alongthe second extension to the motor and may extend within the secondextension. A battery may be detachably attachable to the batterystation, thereby enabling quick switch over of a depleted battery with acharged battery. A battery station may enable a battery to couple withthe station and connect the battery contacts with station contacts.

A camera, such as a video and/or still picture camera, may be coupled toan extension by a camera-extension coupler, which may enable the camerato slide along an extension to a desired location. A camera-extensionlock may then secure the camera-extension in place along the extension.A camera-extension lock may be a knob that produces a clamping force ofthe camera-extension on the extension. A camera may be configured to bemoved in two or more degrees of freedom, such as being rotatedhorizontally and/or vertically. A horizontal pivot may be coupled to thecamera to allow the camera to rotate horizontally and a vertical pivotmay be configured to allow the camera to rotate vertically. Each of thepivots may have locks to secure the camera in a desired orientation.

Imaging, as used herein includes still photographs and video capture ofan object, such as a physical object or person configured, preferably,within the perimeter of the extensions and typically centrally locatedalong the rotational axis of the orbital camera system below the hub. Acamera, as used herein may be a still camera or video camera.

A down rod may be a rod extending from a mount or when a direct drivemotor is used, a down rod may comprise the drive shaft from the motorand the motor may be mounted to the mount or a mount stand.

The summary of the invention is provided as a general introduction tosome of the embodiments of the invention and is not intended to belimiting. Additional example embodiments including variations andalternative configurations of the invention are provided herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary orbital camera systemhaving a camera mounted to a first extension and a counterweight, suchas a battery mounted to a second extension extending from a hub.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the exemplary orbital camera systemshown in FIG. 1, which the first and second extensions rotated abouttheir respective hinges.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an exemplary orbital camera systemhaving a camera mounted to a first extension and a counterweight, suchas a battery mounted to a second extension extending from a hub

FIG. 4 shows a first extension in a straight configuration.

FIG. 5 shows a first extension in a rotated configuration.

FIG. 6 shows a first extension in a folded configuration with theproximal segment folded to be substantially parallel with the distalsegment.

FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of the hub portion of an exemplary orbitalcamera system wherein a motor is engaged with a hub-gear by a motor-gearto rotate the hum and the first and second extensions coupled thereto.

FIG. 8 shows an enlarged view of a camera coupled to the firstextension.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary battery system having a battery that isdetachably attachable to a battery station.

FIG. 10 shows a bottom perspective view of an exemplary orbital camerasystem having a detachably attachable light coupled to the hub and afocal hub attachment configured around a centering light emitter.

FIG. 11 shows a side perspective view of an exemplary orbital camerasystem having a focal element hanging from the hub by a focal tetherthat is coupled by the focal element attachment to the focal hubattachment, and a camera using the focal element to focus the lens.

FIG. 12 shows a side perspective view of an exemplary orbital camerasystem having a centering light emitter projecting a light down forcentering the object under the hub.

FIG. 13 shows a side perspective view of an exemplary orbital camerasystem with two cameras, wherein a first camera is coupled to the firstextension and a second camera is coupled to the second extension.

FIG. 14 shows a side perspective view of an exemplary orbital camerasystem that includes a mount stand having a stand extension between twovertical stands and the orbital camera assembly coupled to the standextension.

FIG. 15 shows a top perspective view of an exemplary orbital cameraassembly coupled to the stand extension of a mount stand.

FIG. 16 shows a side perspective view of an exemplary orbital camerasystem having a camera coupled to the first extension and an extensionlight coupled to the second extension.

FIG. 17 shows a side perspective view of an exemplary orbital camerasystem having a camera coupled to the first extension and a back-panelcoupled to the second extension.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the figures. The figures represent anillustration of some of the embodiments of the present invention and arenot to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in anymanner. Further, the figures are not necessarily to scale, some featuresmay be exaggerated to show details of particular components. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements but may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus. Also, use of “a” or “an” are employed to describeelements and components described herein. This is done merely forconvenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the invention.This description should be read to include one or at least one and thesingular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meantotherwise.

Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are describedherein and are illustrated in the accompanying figures. The embodimentsdescribed are only for purposes of illustrating the present inventionand should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention.Other embodiments of the invention, and certain modifications,combinations and improvements of the described embodiments, will occurto those skilled in the art and all such alternate embodiments,combinations, modifications, improvements are within the scope of thepresent invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplary orbital camera system 10enables rotation of a camera 20 about a rotation axis 51 of a hub 50.The hub is rotated by a motor 70 and an object positioned under the hubalong the rotational axis may be imaged, photographed or video recordedvia a camera 20 mounted to one or both of the first extension 40 andsecond extension 60. The camera 20 is mounted proximal to the extendedend 43 of the first extension 40 and a counterweight 90, such as abattery 94, is mounted to proximal the extended end 63 of the secondextension 60. The battery may be detachably attachable to a batterystation 95 that is coupled to the second extension. Battery leads 96 mayextend from the battery or battery station to the motor 70, which powersthe extensions to spin about the hub. The battery leads may extendwithin the second extension or along the outside of the secondextension. The motor is configured to spin the hub and the first andsecond extensions coupled thereto. The hub-end 41 of the first extensionand the hub-end 61 of the second extensions may be detachably attachedto the hub by an extension connector 55. Also, the first extension 40has a hinge 45 that enables the distal segment 46 of the first extensionto rotated with respect to the proximal segment 44, as shown in FIG. 2.Likewise, the second extension 60 has a hinge 65 that enables the distalsegment 66 of the second extension to rotated with respect to theproximal segment 64, as shown in FIG. 2. A down rod 30, which may be atelescoping down rod 34, extends from a mount 32, wherein one portion ofthe down rod extends into another portion of the down rod to enablechanging the length of the down rod. An illumination light 80 is coupledto the orbital camera assembly 12 and may be mounted below the first andsecond extensions to provide lighting without shadows from any of theother assembly components. The illumination light is a ring illuminationlight extending around the rotation axis 51.

As shown in FIG. 1 and throughout the figures an exemplary orbitalcamera system 10 may be controlled remotely by a remote controller 220,such as a mobile device or more specifically a mobile phone or tabletcomputer that operates a program or App to control the motion, sweepangle, speed, and various other functions of the orbital camera system.The remote controller may communicate with a wireless transceiver 202that is coupled with the controller 200 of the orbital camera system, ormore specifically to the motor 70. The remote controller may have awireless transceiver 222 that includes a wireless signal transmitter totransmit instructions to the controller 200. The wireless signal may bea short-range wireless signal including a Bluetooth signal. As describedherein, a remote controller may control various motions of theextensions or rotation produced by the motor. For example, theextensions may be rotated a first sweep angle of 50 degrees at a firstspeed of 2 rpm and then back a sweep angle of 80 degrees, therebyoverlapping the first sweep angle at a second speed of 5 rpm.

As shown in FIG. 2, distal segment 46 of the first extension 40 isrotated down about the hinge 45 and the distal segment 66 of the secondextension 60 is rotated up about the hinge 65.

As shown in FIG. 3, an exemplary orbital camera system 10 enablesrotation of a first camera 20 and a second camera 25 about a hub 50. Thefirst camera 20 is mounted proximal to the extended end 43 of the firstextension 40 and a second camera 25, is mounted to proximal the extendedend 63 of the second extension 60. A battery 94 may be coupled with themotor 70, that drives the hub to rotate the two extensions. The motor isconfigured to spin the hub and the first and second extensions coupledthereto. The hub-end 41 of the first extension and the hub-end 61 of thesecond extensions may be detachably attached to the hub by an extensionconnector 55. Also, the first extension 40 has a hinge 45 that enablesthe distal segment 46 of the first extension to rotated with respect tothe proximal segment 44. Likewise, the second extension 60 has a hinge65 that enables the distal segment 66 of the second extension to rotatedwith respect to the proximal segment 64. A down rod 30, which may be atelescoping down rod 34, extends from a mount 32. An illumination light80 is coupled to the orbital camera assembly 12 and may be mounted belowthe first and second extensions to provide lighting without shadows fromany of the other assembly components. Note that the second extension mayhave the same components and features as listed and shown in FIGS. 4 to6.

As shown in FIG. 4, a first extension 40 is in a straight configurationwith the distal segment 46 aligned with the proximal segment 44. Theextension extends substantially straight from the hub-end 41 to theextended end 43 and has a length 42.

As shown in FIG. 5, a first extension 40 is in a rotated configurationwith the distal segment 46 rotated an extension angle 49 of about 280degrees about the hinge 45 with respect to the proximal segment 44. Thedistal segment is orthogonal to the proximal segment. The hinge lock 47may be manipulated to allow the rotation of the distal segment withrespect to the proximal segment and then locked to secure the desiredrotational orientation. The lock may be a knob that is turned to loosenand turned an opposing direction to tighten and lock the extension inposition.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first extension 40 is in a folded configurationwith the distal segment 46 rotated about the hinge 45 to besubstantially parallel with the proximal segment 44. The folded length48 is about half that of the straight length 42 of the first extension,shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 7, the hub portion 50 of an exemplary orbital camerasystem 10 is rotated by a motor 70 that is engaged with a hub-gear 52 bya motor-gear 72. The first extension 40 and second extension 60 arecoupled to the hub by an extension connector 55. The hub-end 41 of thefirst extension 40 and the hub-end 61 of the second extension 60 may beinserted into the extension connector and an extension lock 57, such asa knob, may secure the extensions to the extension connector. The motormay be detachably attachable to the down rod 30 by a motor connector 74.An illumination light is coupled to the extensions by light connectors84, 84′, that extend from the light to the first and second extensions,respectively. The illumination light is battery powered by a lightbattery 82 to avoid a wired powered connection to the rotating light.

As shown in FIG. 8, an exemplary camera 20 is coupled to the firstextension 40 by a camera extension coupler 22 having a camera-extensionlock 23 to allow the camera to be slid along the first extension andthen locked in position with the camera-extension lock 23, such as byturning the knob to tighten the clamp. The camera mount 100 has ahorizontal pivot 102 to allow the camera to be rotated horizontally anda horizontal pivot lock 103 to lock the camera in a horizontal position.The camera mount 100 has a vertical pivot 106 to allow the camera to berotated vertically and a vertical pivot lock 107 to lock the camera in avertical position.

As shown in FIG. 9, an exemplary battery system 93 has a battery 94 thatis detachably attachable to a battery station 95. Battery leads 96extend out from the battery station and may extend along an extension tothe motor or to the camera to provide power. A battery below a thresholdcharge level may be quickly detached and replaced with a charged batteryand the leads do not have to be disengaged. The battery station may havestation contacts 99 that are configured to make electrical contact withthe battery contacts 98. The station contacts may be coupled with thebattery leads 96 that extend to the motor, light or camera.

Referring now to FIGS. 10 to 13, an exemplary orbital camera system 10has a detachably attachable illumination light 80 coupled to the hub 50and the light is a ring light, having a center aperture, to accommodatea centering light emitter 110 and a focal hub attachment 122. The focalhub attachment 122 extends around the centering light emitter and may bea male or female threaded attachment or any other suitable attachmentdevice, including a ball and detent arrangement. As shown in FIG. 10,the illumination light 80 is detachably attachable by the lightconnectors 84, 84′.

As shown in FIG. 11, a focal element assembly 121 includes a focalelement 120, a sphere, that is hanging from the hub 50 by a focal tether124 that is coupled by the focal element attachment 126, detachablyattached to the focal hub attachment 122. A camera 20 is being focusedon the focal element. In a method of imaging an object, the focalelement 120 is coupled to the hub and is positioned in a location wherean object to be imaged is to be placed. The focal tether may beadjustable in length to allow positioning the focal element verticalalong the rotational axis of the hub. A camera is mounted to one of thefirst or second extensions, in a fixed position. The camera is thenfocused on the focal element.

The motor 70 in FIGS. 10 to 17 may be a direct drive motor that directlydrives the hub without any external gearing and the motor may be a servomotor that that effectively rotates at very low speeds such as less than5 RPM, or even less than 1 RPM. Also, a servo motor may be quiet toavoid any background noise during video recording using the system.Also, a servo motor may more effectively enable programming of the speedand or motion trajectories, such as a first sweep angle at a first speedand a second sweep angle at a second speed.

As shown in FIG. 12, and FIG. 13, a light 112 is being emitted by thecentering light emitter 110 onto an object 14. The centering light maybe used to ensure an object is centered to ensure in focus imaging priorto starting filming or photography of the object. As shown in FIG. 13, afirst camera 20 is coupled to the first extension 40 and a second camera20′ is coupled to the second extension 60.

Referring now to FIGS. 14 and 15, an exemplary orbital camera system 10includes a mount stand 180 having a stand extension 184 between twovertical stands 182, 182′ and the orbital camera assembly 12 coupled tothe stand extension by a mount stand coupler 186. As shown, there aretwo stand extensions 184, 184′ that may provide for more stability ofthe orbital camera assembly. Also, the vertical stands are configured onstand bases 188, 188′ that rest on a ground surface to secure thevertical stands upright. Note that the stand base and length of thevertical stands may be adjusted for uneven ground surfaces or for aslope between a first vertical stand 182 and a second vertical stand182′. As shown in FIG. 15, the mount stand coupler may enable theorbital camera assembly 12 to slide along the stand extensions 184,184′.

As shown in FIG. 16, an exemplary orbital camera system 10 has a camera20 coupled to the first extension 40 via a first extension attachment140 and an extension light 86 coupled to the second extension 60 via asecond extension attachment 160. In this embodiment, the first extensionattachment 140 may be a camera mount 100 as shown in FIG. 8. The secondextension attachment may be a clip for attachment of the extensionlight.

As shown in FIG. 17 an exemplary orbital camera system 10 has a camera20 coupled to the first extension 40 via a first extension attachment140 and a back-panel 88 coupled to the second extension 60 via a secondextension attachment 160. The back panel may be a green-screen panel toenable animation in the background of the object to be added oroverlayed effectively.

As shown in FIGS. 10 to 17, the motor is a direct drive motor with thehub attached to the drive shaft 76 of the motor, as shown in FIG. 11.The drive shaft forms the down rod or a portion of the down rod in thisconfiguration. The motor has a battery 78 that enables the motor tooperate without any wired power connection, thereby making the motor aportable motor. The battery may be a rechargeable battery. The motor maybe a servo motor that can rotate as very low speeds with very littlenoise and low vibration.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations and variations can be made in the presentinvention without departing from the scope of the invention. Specificembodiments, features and elements described herein may be modified,and/or combined in any suitable manner. Thus, it is intended that thepresent invention cover the modifications, combinations and variationsof this invention provided they come within the scope of the appendedclaims and their equivalents.

1. An orbital camera system comprising: a) a down rod, b) a hub coupledto the down rod; c) a motor configured to rotate said hub about arotation axis; d) a first extension coupled to and extending from thehub in a first direction and comprising: i) a proximal segment; ii) adistal segment; iii) a hinge configured between the proximal segment anddistal segment to enable the distal segment to rotate with respect tothe proximal segment; e) a second extension coupled to and extendingfrom the hub in a second direction opposite said first direction andcomprising: i) a proximal segment; ii) a distal segment; iii) a hingeconfigured between the proximal segment and distal segment to enable thedistal segment to rotate with respect to the proximal segment; f) anillumination light coupled to the hub; g) a camera coupled to the firstextension.
 2. The orbital camera system of claim 1, wherein theillumination light is a ring light extending around the rotational axis.3. (canceled)
 4. The orbital camera system of claim 1, wherein theillumination light comprises a light battery and is a battery poweredlight.
 5. The orbital camera system of claim 2, further comprising afocal element assembly comprising a focal element coupled to a focaltether and a focal element attachment configured on an extended end ofthe focal tether, wherein the hub comprises a focal hub attachment fordetachable attachment of the focal element assembly via the focalelement attachment.
 6. The orbital camera system of claim 5, wherein thefocal hub attachment is configured around the rotation axis.
 7. Theorbital camera system of claim 6, further comprising a centering lightemitter configured to emit a centering light along the rotation axis,and configured within the focal hub attachment.
 8. The orbital camerasystem of claim 7, wherein the centering light is a laser light andwherein the centering light emitter is a laser.
 9. The orbital camerasystem of claim 2, further comprising a centering light emitterconfigured to emit a centering light along the rotation axis, andconfigured within the focal hub attachment.
 10. The orbital camerasystem of claim 9, wherein the centering light is a laser light andwherein the centering light emitter is a laser.
 11. The orbital camerasystem of claim 1, further comprising a second extension attachment andan extension light attached to the second extension attachment.
 12. Theorbital camera system of claim 1, further comprising a second extensionattachment and a back-panel attached to the second extension attachment.13. The orbital camera system of claim 1, further comprising a secondextension attachment and a second camera attached to the secondextension attachment.
 14. The orbital camera system of claim 1, whereinthe hub is directly coupled to the motor and the motor is a direct drivemotor and the down rod comprises a drive shaft of the motor. 15.(canceled)
 16. (canceled)
 17. (canceled)
 18. (canceled)
 19. The orbitalcamera system of claim 1, further comprising a controller and a wirelesstransceiver that receives a wireless programed motion instruction signalfrom a remote controller, wherein the programed motion instructionsincluding a direction and speed of rotation.
 20. (canceled) 21.(canceled)
 22. (canceled)
 23. The orbital camera system of claim 1,further comprising a counterweight coupled to the second extension,wherein counterweight is configured along the second extension tobalance the first and second extensions about the hub
 24. (canceled) 25.(canceled)
 26. (canceled)
 27. The orbital camera system of claim 1,wherein the hinge of the first extension has a hinge lock to lock thedistal segment in a rotated position with respect to the proximalsegment of the first extension.
 28. The orbital camera system of claim1, wherein the distal end of the first extension can be rotated aboutthe hinge to a folded configuration.
 29. (canceled)
 30. (canceled) 31.(canceled)
 32. (canceled)
 33. (canceled)
 34. The orbital camera systemof claim 1, wherein the camera is coupled to the first extension by acamera mount having a horizontal and a vertical pivot.
 35. The orbitalcamera system of claim 34, wherein the camera is slidably coupled withthe first extension, whereby the camera can be slid along the firstextension.
 36. The orbital camera system of claim 35, wherein the camerais detachably attached to the first extension by a camera-extensioncoupler; wherein the camera-extension coupler comprises acamera-extension lock to secure the camera-extension coupler in aposition along the first extension.
 37. (canceled)
 38. The orbitalcamera system of claim 1, wherein the counterweight comprises a battery.39. (canceled)
 40. (canceled)
 41. (canceled)
 42. The orbital camerasystem of claim 41, further comprising an extension coupler and whereinthe light is coupled to and below the extension coupler; wherein thelight is below the hub, the extension coupler and the first and secondextensions.
 43. The orbital camera system of claim 1, further comprisinga mount stand comprising: a) two vertical stands b) a stand extensionextending between the two vertical stands; wherein the down rod iscoupled to the stand extension by a mount stand coupler.
 44. The orbitalcamera system of claim 23, wherein the down rod is slidably engaged withthe stand extension.
 45. (canceled)
 46. (canceled)